Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims

Twenty bright first-graders were gunned down Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn. Six school staffers, including a teacher and a principal, also died. Click through to
learn more about the victims Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Noah Pozner and his twin sister, Arielle, celebrated their 6th birthdays Nov. 20. Arielle, who was in
another class, survived.
Pozner's uncle Alexis Haller told The Associated Press that he was "smart as a whip," gentle but with
a rambunctious streak.
Haller told the AP that Pozner called Arielle his best friend.
"They were always playing together, they loved to do things together," Haller said. When his mother,
a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, "Not as much as I love you, Mom."
Pozner was buried Monday afternoon.
Emilie Parker, the little girl with the blond hair and bright-blue eyes, would have been one of the
first to comfort her classmates at Sandy Hook Elementary School, had a gunman's bullets not
claimed her life, her father said.
"My daughter Emilie would be one of the first ones to be standing and giving support to all the
victims because that's the kind of kid she is," her father, Robbie Parker, said as he fought back tears,
telling the world about his "bright, creative and loving" daughter who was one of the 20 young
victims in the Newtown, Conn., shooting.
"She always had something kind to say about anybody," her father said. "We find comfort reflecting
on the incredible person Emilie was and how many lives she was able to touch."
Emilie was a budding artist who carried her markers and pencils everywhere. Her grandfather
recently died and Emilie paid tribute to him by slipping a special card she had drawn into his casket,
her father said.
Alissa Parker, Emilie's mother, told Katie Couric she doesn't know how to answer people anymore
when they ask how she is doing.
"I feel like the only way to move forward," she said, "is to think about these beautiful children and
their lives and be so thankful that we had them."

Emilie will be buried in the family's hometown of Ogden, Utah, later this week.WATCH: Emilie's
father speaks about his daughter
Jack's funeral was Monday.Jack was a fan of New York Giants and their wide receiver Victor Cruz,
who paid tribute to the 6-year-old during a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 16.

Cruz wrote on his cleats, "Jack Pinto, My Hero."

"I also spoke to an older brother and he was distraught as well. I told him to stay strong and I was
going to do whatever I can to honor him," Cruz said after the game. "He was fighting tears and could
barely speak to me."
Cruz said he plans to give the gloves he wore during the game to the boy's family, and spend some
time with them.
The family released a statement saying, Jack was an "inspiration to all those who knew him."
"Jack loved school, reading, wrestling, skiing and football. Most of all Jack loved to play with his
friends and keep up with his big brother," his family said. "He had a wide smile that would simply
light up the room and while we are all uncertain as to how we will ever cope without him, we choose
to remember and celebrate his life. Not dwelling on the loss but instead on the gift that we were
given and will forever cherish in our hearts forever."
Like most first-graders, Jesse Lewis was excited for the holiday season. The 6-year-old, who was in
Victoria Soto's class, couldn't wait to go to school on Friday because they were making gingerbread
houses, and his father had planned to join them.
Jesse was killed Friday morning while trying to lead other children to safety.
"He ran into the hallway to help when he heard the shots," his obituary said. "His family knows in
their hearts that was the way he lived his life -- fearless, full of courage and strength."
The little boy who had the "perfect combination of courage and faith" was always ready for the next
adventure.
One picture remains etched into his family's mind forever, they said:
"[It is] one of him in his boots, no socks, ripped jeans, and a T-shirt, an army helmet strapped to his
head, a smudge of dirt on his cheek, tromping through the pasture on his way from one adventure to
another."
Victoria Soto, 27, one of the adult victims, loved being a teacher, her cousin Jim Wiltsie told ABC
News' Chris Cuomo Friday. Indeed, her first-grade students' safety was such a high priority that
Soto reportedly gave her life.
"The family was informed that she was trying to shield, get her children into a closet and protect
them from harm, and by doing that put herself between the gunman and the children," Wiltsie said.
"And that's when she was tragically shot and killed.
"I'm very proud to have known Vicki," Wiltsie added. "Her life dream was to be a teacher. And her
instincts kicked in when she saw there was harm coming to her students.
"It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children," he said. "And
in our eyes, she is a hero."
Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7The artistic 7-year-old dreamed of being a painter when she grew up and
living on Martha's Vineyard.

"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from so many people," her family said
in a statement. "Our daughter Grace was the love and light of our family. Words cannot adequately
express our sense of loss."
As with so many, the ABC family has been touched directly by the tragedy in Sandy Hook.
One of the young victims, Catherine Hubbard, is the niece of an ABC News employee.
Here is a statement from the family:"We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter,
Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by
this tragedy.
"We appreciate the overwhelming support from our community that we have received over the past
24 hours.
"We also wish to express our gratitude for all of the emergency responders who responded to this
tragic incident as well as the teachers and staff of Sandy Hook School. Our local police and fire
departments and the other agencies who are working on this continuing investigation have been
incredible.
"We also want to recognize outstanding work of The Connecticut State Police who have been
supporting us from the very beginning of this ordeal and continue to provide unwavering support to
our family.
"We have no further statement to make at this time and ask that we be afforded the opportunity to
grieve with our friends and family.
"We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this
tragedy.
"Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard"
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47Hochsprung became principal of Sandy Hook two years ago and, by
all accounts, was devoted to the students and teachers at her school.
"When we had our orientation, you could tell she loved her job," Brenda Lediski, a parent, told ABC
News by phone.
Hochsprung was in the process of pursuing her Ph.D. through Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y.

Her enrollment was a "testament to her own personal mission to continue learning and lead by
example," her obituary said.
Kristin Larson, a former PTA secretary, told the Boston Globe that Hochsprung was "always
enthusiastic, always smiling, always game to do anything."
"When I saw her at the beginning of the school year, she was hugging everyone," Larson said.
The moments Hochsprung came into contact with the gunman were heard over the school intercom

and might have saved lives.

It's not clear whether the intercom was turned on purposefully to alert the school's staff to the
menace or whether the intercom was on for morning announcements.
Either way, it caught the initial moments of Adam Lanza's lethal fury and gave teachers and others
life saving moments to lock their doors and try to hide their children.
Mary Sherlach, School PsychologistSherlach had been a school psychologist at Sandy Hook since
August of 1994 and had experience working on committees devoted to school safety, according to
her website.
Sherlach and her husband, Bill, had been married for 31 years and have two adult daughters.
"I truly enjoy working with the SHS staff, parents and children," she wrote. "And am always ready to
assist in problem solving, intervention and prevention."
Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, said Sherlach believed she was "doing God's work by helping
children."
Lauren Rousseau worked as a substitute teacher before landing a full time position this year at
Sandy Hook Elementary School. For the 30-year-old, it was a dream job.
"We will miss her terribly," Lauren's mother, Teresa Rousseau , told the Delaware County Times.
"And will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream."
The 6-year-old was just learning the rosary and would lead the family in grace every night before
dinner, the New Haven Register reported. Her favorite colors were pink and purple. She leaves
behind a 3-year-old brother.
Her family released a statement describing Olivia as "creative" and a fan of craft projects and art
class. She was a patient big sister to 3-year-old Brayden.
"Olivia was smart, bubbly, and unbelievably entertaining. Her physical loss will be felt every day by
those who loved her most, but her sparkly spirit will live on," the statement read.
Rachel D'Avino was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at Sandy Hook
Elementary School, according to Lissa Lovetere, a friend who is arranging her funeral planned for
Friday.
D'Avino's boyfriend, Anthony Cerritelli, planned to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve, Lovetere
told The Associated Press.
Police told her family that she shielded one of the students during the rampage, Lovetere told the
AP.
Jessica's parents, Rich and Krista Rekos, released a statement describing their daughter's love of
horses. When she turned 10, they promised, she could have a horse of her own. For Christmas, she
asked Santa for new cowgirl boots and hat.
"She devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses, and

writing stories about horses," her family said in the statement.

The family described Jessica as "a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little
brothers, Travis and Shane.
"We cannot imagine our life without her. We are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories
we have of her, and trying to help her brother Travis understand why he can't play with his best
friend," they said.
The 6-year-old, with her beaming smile, was the daughter of a jazz musician. She sang in a home
video with her brother, who was also at Sandy Hook Elementary School during the massacre.
The girl's grandmother, Elba Marquez, told The Associated Press the family moved to Connecticut
just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook's sterling reputation. The
grandmother's brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town.
Charlotte dreamed of being a veterinarian when she grew up.
The 6-year-old "never met an animal she didn't love," her obituary said.
The lively first-grader also enjoyed practicing Taekwondo with her brother, Guy, and her father.
Charlotte's parents, Joann and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, Joann's brother John
Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday.
"She was going to go some places in this world," Hagen told the newspaper. "This little girl could
light up the room for anyone."
Daniel was the youngest of three children, his family said in a statement. The family described
Daniel as "fearless in the pursuit of happiness in life."
"Words really cannot express what a special boy Daniel was. Such a light. Always smiling, unfailingly
polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both
intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy," the family
said.
Barden's parents and older brother, James, appeared on the television program "Katie" on Monday
to talk about Daniel, the special little boy with an "old soul".
"He was just so sweet and kind and thoughtful," said James, who is just a few years older than his
brother.
A celebration of Daniel's life will be held Tuesday at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. A funeral is
scheduled for Wednesday.
Josephine Gay celebrated her 7th birthday Dec. 11. Friends and family describe the first-grader, who
had a "joyful and giving spirit," as "a gift."

Josephine had two sisters, Sophia and Marie.

Friends and family have been asked to wear
Josephine's favorite color, purple, in her
honor.
A wake is scheduled for Friday at St. Rose of
Lima Church. A mass will follow Saturday.
"You couldn't think of a better child," neighbor
Kevin Grimes told The Associated Press.
Grimes told the AP that he was recently
speaking with Chase and the little boy was
telling him about winning his first minitriathlon.
The athletic first grader ran in community
road races and loved baseball, his family said
in an obituary.
"He could often be found in the yard playing
ball, riding his bike or quad," his obituary said,
The Kowalski family has set Vegetable Seeds up the Chase Kowalski Scholarship Fund at People's
Bank in his memory.
At nearly 7 years old, James Mattioli, who his family called 'J', loved to sing at the top of his lungs,
ham sandwiches from Subway and being his father's "mini-me".
"James was especially thoughtful and considerate, always the first to welcome guests at the
backdoor with a hug and his contagious smile," an obituary for the first grader said.
James loved doing crafts with his older sister, Anna, who was helping her brother advance his
reading skills.
And the first grader was caring, recently foregoing a gift for himself so he could use the money to
buy his grandfather a mug for Christmas.
James' mother, Cindy, is a native of Sherrill, N.Y.
"It's a terrible tragedy, and we're a tight community," Mayor William Vineall told the Utica ObserverDispatch. "Everybody will be there for them, and our thoughts and prayers are there for them," he
added.
The boy with the beaming smile was born in Winchester, England.
The Hockley family moved from England to Connecticut two years ago and found Sandy Hook
Elementary School to be a great fit for their two boys.

Dylan had special needs, his parents, Ian and Nicole Hockley, told the Connecticut Post.
"We do not and shall never regret this choice," the Hockleys said. "Our boys have flourished here
and our family's happiness has been limitless."
Dylan was learning how to read and looked up to his older brother, Jake, the family said.
The family praised principal Dawn Hochsprung, psychologist Mary Sherlach, Dylan's teacher,
Victoria Soto, and his special education teacher, Anne Marie Murphy, for truly knowing their son. All
four educators died in the massacre.
Anne Marie Murphy was employed as a special education teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The devoted mother and teacher reportedly died with one of her beloved students, Dylan Hockley, in
her arms.
"We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died," Dylan's parents told the
Connecticut Post.
Murphy will be buried on Thursday in Somers, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, her family asked that donations be made to Autism Speaks.
At the age of 6, Avielle had a "spitfire personality" and loved to tell stories, her obituary said.
"She offered her heart to everyone. With an infectious smile and peals of laughter, people were
drawn to her beautiful spirit, which will live on in all of our hearts," the first grader's family wrote.
Avielle had a diverse set of passions, from music to archery and kung fu.
Ben looked up to his 9-year-old brother, Nate.
Before he left for school Friday, Ben told his mother: "I still want to be an architect, but I also want
to be a paleontologist, because that's what Nate is going to be and I want to do everything Nate
does," his obituary said.
He worked hard inside of the classroom, and brought that same drive to his extracurricular
activities, swimming and soccer.
"He loved the local soccer program, often running across the field long after it was actually
necessary," his family said.

Ben, whose parents are musicians, had recently performed at a piano recital.
Allison had a knack for connecting with people, no matter how short of time she spent with them,
her parents said.
"She loved her family and teachers especially, but would often surprise us with random acts of
kindness - once even offering her snacks to a complete stranger on a plane," her parents, Cheyanne

and Ben Wyatt said in a statement.

The first grader loved to draw and taped rows of pictures to the walls in her home, turning it into
her own "art studio".
"She loved to laugh and was developing her own wonderful sense of humor that ranged from just
being a silly 6-year old to coming up with observations that more than once had us crying with
laughter," her parents said.
"Allison made the world a better place for six, far too short years and we now have to figure out how
to move on without her. She was a sweet, creative, funny, intelligent little girl who had an amazing
life ahead of her. Our world is a lot darker now that she's gone. We love and miss her so much.
Victims of Sandy Hook ShootingThis page will be updated as more information and images emerge
of the victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in coming days, here are the names of
the other students killed:
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
http://abcnews.go.com/US/sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting-victims/story?id=17984685